NWT regulatory board struggling with workload, lack of staff

The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board says short-term staffing issues and “chronic underfunding” are causing delays.

The regulator, which oversees the issuing of land use permits and water licences for a large part of the NWT, published a warning about the likely impact last week.

“Processing times for some submissions may be longer than usual,” the board stated.

While timelines for licence and permit applications are set out in legislation, the board said “extended processing times may be unavoidable for other types of submissions.”

“The board and its staff will assess and prioritize these submissions as they are received, taking project needs into account, and will make every effort to process these submissions as quickly as board staff capacity allows,” the board stated.

“The board will re-evaluate its workload in May 2026 to determine whether the advisory is still needed. In the interim, the board will continue to work with the federal government to secure adequate funding to support its operations.”

Chris Hotson, the board’s active executive director, told Cabin Radio the biggest problem it faces is a “short-term staffing crunch,” outlining circumstances in which two members of staff are on parental leave, a third has left “unexpectedly” and another is on six months of personal leave.

“We have a horizon where things will improve and we will catch up,” said Hotson. “That is what the May review is for. However, we are still in a state of chronic short-staffing due to funding.”

According to Hotson, staff are dealing with a workload “four to five times higher per person” than might be found in similar environments elsewhere, “which we are finding is leading to staff burnout and a stressful work environment.”

“It means that additional work on building relationships with proponents and stakeholders, and supporting those folks in our processes, and things like outreach and education, are all non-existent as there is no time or space for staff to do that,” Hotson said.

“Compound that with underfunded, under-capacity Indigenous governments and organizations and the system is certainly not able to function the way it is intended, with full and effective participation of rights holders.”

The board stressed that its advisory does not apply to the Gwich’in, Sahtú or Wek’èezhìı land and water boards, which serve similar regulatory purposes for other regions of the NWT.